It’s been a pretty great morning. I slept in by about half an hour; slept through my alarms.. but was lost deep in sleep and dreams. I dreamt of hanging out with Dad, seeing an old friend, and driving. As the dream wrapped up, I woke up, completely confused about where I was and what time it might be.

I leapt out of bed, had a large glass of cold water, and went down to my car. The battery had died a little while ago and I’d not let myself get to it until this past weekend, when I borrowed a friend’s charger. The thing made me nervous. I’ve been antsy around car batteries ever since I was about 12 or 13 when my best friend saw a battery blow up in someone’s face; hospitalizing him. However, I’m a big boy now, or at least I’m supposed to be, so there was no one else to do this but me. I waited until around 11, when the garage would be mostly quiet for the night, ran the extension cord, popped the hood, swore at myself more than a few times for being nervous about something so simple, and hooked the charger up to my battery.

I felt this (frankly ridiculous) bit of pride as I plugged it in to the extension cord and heard a slight click and buzz as the charger came to life. I walked back to the front of the car and read the gauge, looked over my car for the thirtieth time that evening, and went upstairs, smiling. I would be able to drive again my baby again, soon.

I went back down to check on my car twice more before I went to sleep.

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This morning, the charger indicated my battery was good to go, so I unplugged everything, unlocked the door… and fell in Car Love all over again. Of course it started up right away, happy as can be, ready to go. I let it idle for a few minutes, getting the oil warm and fluids moving around, and for the first time in too long, my Talon left the parking garage and was glistening in the morning sun. I immediately hit a gas station for some premium, still shaking my head at how nervous I was at such a silly thing. Then, there was no more time for thinking as I headed out to the highway to … Well, there’s really no point in lying or trying to make up some grandiose reason – I just needed to drive.

I found a few tight corners and I swear, it felt like we were creating poetry in our lines. My car is so light and low to the ground (and blessed with all wheel drive) that it feels like it, and I, are extensions of the roads we drive. I kept the stereo off; wanting to put as little strain on the battery as possible for now, but also so I could hear my engine sing with me. A few hard launches, a few good pulls getting up towards redline, all emphasized by the sounds of my turbo’s BOV in between shifts.

I didn’t stay out long, being Monday and there as always, thankfully, work to be done, so I brought the Talon back to its secured spot and turned the key off with a smile. It’s such a simple thing, driving, but it’s one thing that always makes me feel better. I came upstairs, made a fresh pot of coffee, and indulged myself with something else I’ve also not done in forever – I opened up a new book. I’ve always loved reading, but over this past year it’s been one of those things I’ve not allowed myself to have the time for.

I poured my coffee into my favourite mug, had a sip, and opened the first page. I felt good. I felt.. right. I knew I should be working, I knew I had invoices to create and clients to contact and a site to finish coding and some promotional pieces to finish and… and it could wait a minute. I’ve been on autopilot for way too long. I’ve got the work done, I’ve attended the meetings I needed to be present at, I’ve gone to the gym and ate dinner… on autopilot. The last time I did something strictly for myself (other than workout) was so long ago I couldn’t even say when it was.

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I read a grand total of 7 pages, devouring the prologue. I already know I’m going to love this book. I put it down, still smiling, ready to face the rest of my day.

When is the last time you did something to recharge… you?